RED CLIFFS RECREATION AREA

Red Cliffs Recreation Area is located just off of Interstate 15, 15 miles north of St. George, Utah. Red Cliffs offers several marked hiking trails that will lead you through beautiful red rock formations and narrow canyons filled with pools of water. There are 10 overnight camping sites, and a picnic area next to the creek

We stayed at the St. George RV Park, just across interstate 15, from the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. I talked to the man in charge of renovating the entire park. He allowed me to hike the area and even showed me where the good hiking trails were. I really liked this park, as I was the only one using the trails. I look forward to returning someday after all the work finished.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Zion National Park requires careful planning. Summer weather can be unpredictable, narrow canyons are subject to flooding, dangerous cliffs are abundant. The park is home to 67 species of mammals, 207 birds, 35 reptiles and amphibians and 9 fish.

Linda and I saw several different kinds of reptiles. We had hoped to see the condors but, you take what you get. We managed to view a deer back in one of the canyons. I think maybe because of the high temperatures, while we were there, the wildlife stayed pretty much secluded.

Lots of wildflowers and cactus were in bloom, while we were there. We had wanted to hike the narrows but could not, the high waters being the culprit. We hiked early in the morning and then hung around the swimming pool, in the campground, in the afternoons.

We enjoyed Zion and think about returning, but maybe in a different season.

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK - NEVADA

The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape.Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Basket Maker people and later the Anasazi Pueblo farmers. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited the length of their stay. Fine examples of rock art left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.

Its amazing what you can learn by just taking a walk in the campground. We talked to some fellow campers and they told of not to miss the Valley of Fire State Park. They were right, it was beautiful, with the colorful rocks and the spectacular vista's. It was 100 degrees the day we decided to visit so we did most of our hiking in the morning. We managed to come across many lizards, a reluctant tortoise, and a chuckwalla, which by the way is another way of saying large lizard!

If your in the area I would recommend taking the time to investigate Valley of Fire. It has plenty of trails for hiking and and lots of rock formations that can be seen from an air condition automible.

YOSIMITE NATIONAL PARK

Once again we headed for Yosimite and got within 200 miles. We kept checking the website for Yosimite and the trails were all closed due to snow. We decided to try another time. I guess it will be a reason to visit California again.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Central California has to be one of the prettiest spots in the country. It offers Mountains, desert and oceans, all within a few miles. Linda and I spent 2 weeks in Gilroy. We stayed Betabel RV Park, its a very clean campground with all the usual amenities, including live entainment on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We visited Monterey several times because of the beautiful views of the oceans. Fishermans wharf still seems to have a lot of seals in the harbor for the tourists to look at. Monterey also offers Cannery Row but it is more of an outside mall than a cannery. You can leave Monterey via Ocean View drive and take in some of the most awesome scenery. We also visited Carmel, with its quaint shops and stores. There is a beautiful old mission in Carmel that is worth seeing. Its a high dollar town, but when you had Clint Eastwood as your mayor, its gotta be high end!!!

We visited Mission San Jaun Bautista, which is part of the El Camino Real, which is the old path that connected all the missions. Its an interesting little mission with lots of flowers and a few old buildings from when it was a town.

Pinnacles National Monument was just a short drive and a beautiful country drive, at that. We hiked several of the trails. We took Balconies Cave trail, it offers a cave that you must take to complete the trail. This a talus cave created by huge boulders that formed a roof over a narrow canyon. These caves are narrow and twisty with low ceilings and uneven footing. You must have your own flashlights and gear and be prepared to scramble over rocks and wade through water. Linda and I only went in so far, as we didn't have our gear with us.

No trip to Central California would be complete without a trip down Highway 1 to Big Sur. The views of the Ocean are spectacular. We packed our lunch and made a day of it.

SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS

Given the names of these parks, you would expect giant trees and huge canyons - and you won't be disappointed. Yet the whole of the parks is even greater than the sum of the famous parts.

Rising from 1300' to 14,494' these parks protect a spectacular elevational range. This span from low to high means dramatic shifts from hot foothills to shady forests to the cold High Sierra. It means extraordinarily diverse plants and animals living in the extremely varied conditions. It means steep roads and trails that climb mountains, and cold rivers that plunge down from their heights.

There is diversity, too, in the caretakers of this landscape. Bordering these two national parks is a national monument, which is a part of the national forest

Linda and I drove through the two parks, as the side roads were still closed. We took two day trips to cover as much ground as we could. It seemed that every corner we went around offered another great view. We saw bears both days,a coyote, marmot and many squirrels and rodents. If you find yourself in this area, it a must see kind of place. The Kings River was spectular in its self, wild rapids and awsome waterfalls.

TECOPA CALIFORNIA

Tecopa is located on the historic Old Spanish Trail in Southeastern Inyo County. It was originally a settlement of the Pauite Indians in the early 1800s and in later years by early prospectors and travelers. The trail is still visible in many areas in the Amargosa Canyon.

Tecopa is a a small community. It features a post office, church, school and a lots of trailers and shacks. We stayed at the county park campground that offers a Hot Springs Pool House. Linda and I thought we would enjoy this amenity until we discovered it was "clothing optional". We found the area offered enough things to do and explore, (in the clothing mandatory area)that we stayed plenty busy. We took a day trip to the Durmont Dunes, big beautiful sand dunes that are between two mountain ranges. The area around the dunes is used by OHV's, so there are lots of "jeep" trails to explore. Shoshone offers an excellent museum that tells the story of the area and its past. China Ranch is just 7 miles from our campground so Linda and I took advantage of the hiking trails that are located there. The entire area is a paradise for rockhounders. The Tecopa County campground borders Grimshaw Lake, which is dry with a few pockets of warm spring water, which seems to attracts water fowl.

This is another place we visited that is in the catagory of "if you don't have it with you, you don't need it". Pahrump is the closest thing to civilization you will find in the area. We recommend the county campground butt we can't offer anything on the hot springs?